Joan Sings Torch

Torch Song (1953) marked Joan Crawford's return to MGM after her years at Warner Brothers.  However, she returned for a VERY strange film indeed.  She is Jenny Stewart, a temperamental stage star who has alienated EVERYONE in the cast of her latest show, and has no social life to speak of. Into her life comes pianist Tye Graham (Michael Wilding), who was blinded in the war.  He attempts to humanize Jenny, whom he loves because "he knows what she looks like". Torch Song seems most biographical in nature.  From Jenny's dislike of any woman she sees as competition to her passionate love affair with her fans, the plot seems to be borrowing from Crawford's own life.  Did she know how close it would look to her public? One wonders...

Let's just get past the black-face number right away.  It is just stunningly WEIRD.  WHY they found it necessary to perform the song Two-Faced Woman with Crawford done up as a mulatto with bejeweled eyebrows is incomprehensible. In the 21st Century, one rather sits there going "Huh??" And then there is the singing.  A documentary on the DVD showed Crawford testing the music in her own voice.  Never really a strong singer, age (and smoking) had destroyed with little musicality her voice had in her youth. Thus, the producers were forced to substitute a "ghost" singer for her.  Want a glimpse? Here she is "singing" "Follow Me".

On the plus side, is her relationship with her sister and mother. What at first seems like an avaricious family living off their successful relative turns into something much more complex.  There is real love and pride of the mother for her star daughter.  And the sister, coveting Jenny's coat, beams when Jenny relents and presents it to her: "Thank you, Jenny! I'll even wear it to bed". she says as she leaves.  Sure, they are not perfect; but there is a love there, that we understand Jenny has ignored in her climb to the top.

Be prepared if you decide to watch this movie - it is NOT politically correct, but Crawford holds her own here. And damn, has she got good legs!!

Next week, we go back to an earlier Crawford movie.

Joan is Dangerous

In 1952, Joan Crawford closed out her Warner Brother's contract with This Woman is Dangerous. Beth Austin (Ms. Crawford) is the leader of a gang that pulls major heists.  Their latest involves the robbing of a casino.  She controls her henchmen (David Brian and Philip Carey as Matt and Will Jackson), but Beth has a problem - she is going blind, and needs immediate surgery to prevent it.  She heads to the hospital of Dr. Ben Halleck (Dennis Morgan), the only physician capable of performing this delicate surgery.  And, of course, she falls in love with him.

The commentary provided by Robert Osborne in the introduction informed us that Crawford's considered this her worst film.  It is rather silly, but certainly not the worse thing SHE had ever done.  She's actually pretty good in it.  We did find Philip Carey (as Will) rather amusing.  His bug-eyed mania was VERY overstated, from an actor we've always found to be rather an UNDER-actor.  Ditto David Brian.  This is not the acting one would expect from the person we had so recently seen in Flamingo Road. He's really over-the-top crazy in this.

We enjoyed Dennis Morgan (also at the end of HIS contract with WB), but the actor who was a breath of fresh air was little Sherry Jackson as Susan Halleck, Dr. Halleck's young daughter. Crawford seems so comfortable with the child; she becomes easier and happier in the scenes with her.  On top of all the sturm and drang of the soap opera plot, the innocent home-life of this little girl considerably lightens up atmosphere.

Here is an interesting scene from the later part of the film.  It won't give away any plot, but it does show Crawford when she is nails the scene (plus some wonderful cutting on the part of the editor, James C. Moore:

 

We're not sure if we would recommend this, but it is has its moments. So you might want to give it a try. If only to see the one Joan Crawford loathed!!

Joan Gets "Fancy"

In 1951, Joan Crawford starred in a delightful comedy with a political bent - Goodbye, My Fancy.  Ms. Crawford is Congresswoman Agatha Reed, invited by her alma mater, to return for the graduation ceremony to receive an honorary degree.  There are, of course, some complications.  For one, Agatha never graduated from the school - she was dismissed for staying out all night with a man.  Another is that her former fiance (Robert Young) is now the dean of the college.  Trailing after Agatha to the ceremony is photographer Matt Cole (Frank Lovejoy) her romantic interest during the war, when she was a war correspondent. And then there is the film that Agatha recently released, on her experiences during the war and the effects of tyranny on intellectual freedom. 

There is no question here of age appropriateness. Agatha IS an older woman.  She's had at least two successful careers and her former beau has a 22 year-old daughter.  Yes, she was his student (making him a few years older), but she is a mature woman, and Crawford plays it as such.  She is also a woman deeply in love with a memory.  And we get to watch as she decided between Young and Lovejoy.  Acting as our commentator is the always delightful Eve Arden.  No movie with Eve Arden in it is ever dull, but Ms. Arden is at her witty best here.  We think she got all the best lines.  She is a riot!

Robert Young, unfortunately, doesn't get to do much here, which is too bad.  Always an interesting actor to watch, he is eye candy here - Agatha's past incarnate.  Her future, too, she hopes.  But a future that will completely alter all she has accomplished in her past.

Without giving away the ending, we found the film fascinating for its view of the importance of career to women and for its emphasis on the importance of freedom of speech. In an era where the House Un-American Activities Committee was abrogating the rights of the free speech of all Americans, this is a daring statement.

Before we go, here is a copy of the trailer:

Next time, another Crawford film from the 1950's

Joan Joins the Mob

In 1950, Joan Crawford was back at Warner Brothers (and with director Vincent Sherman for the second time) in a fairly turgid gangster movie, The Damned Don't Cry.  Told in flashback, as on Lorna Hansen Forbes flees to her parents house following the discovery of a murdered man, we learn that Lorna was actually Ethel Whitehead.  Living in relative poverty in her parents home, with her husband and small son, Ethel's life has few pleasures, thanks to her penny-pinching husband (Richard Egan).  When their little boy is killed suddenly, Ethel leaves  her husband, landing work as a dress model, gradually becoming a call girl to make a few extra dollars.  Her life's direction changes again when she meets accountant Martin Blackford (Kent Smith); thanks to Ethel's intervention, Martin becomes enmeshed with gangster George Castleman. 

And so it goes.  Quite frankly, we found this movie WAY too long.  The section that introduced Lorna's life story for example, when we see the death of her son, was totally unnecessary (and could have been briefly outlined within the body of the movie).  Also, Crawford is not really convincing here.  Her speech pattern is very peculiar.  She seems to think that she needs to change the way she talks with each small change in her life: the housewife has a quiet, precise speech; the whore talks like she just escaped from a Damon Runyon novel, and Lorna adopts the pronunciation of the Vanderbilts.  All very bemusing.

It was nice to see Richard Egan (in a very small part as Ethel's miserly husband); David Brian (as George Castleman) was used to much better advantage in the previously discussed Flamingo Road. Steve Cochrane as gang member Nick Prenda was interesting to watch, as was Kent Smith as the loyal Martin.  But all-in-all, we've seen better movies.  Here's a trailer to give you an idea of the film's marketing:

We'll be back shortly with another Crawford film from the 1950s.

Interlude: The Road to Hollywood

The Movie Night Group had the wonderful opportunity to join Robert Osborne and Angela Lansbury for a screening of the 1962 The Manchurian Candidate in New York City.  Like most of the attendees, we had never seen this film on a big screen, and what a knockout.  The story of a Korean war troup that is kidnapped by the enemy, with one member programmed to be a stone-cold killer, it features outstanding performances by Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh, and Angela Lansbury.  As Ms. Lansbury pointed out in the introduction, none of the actors was afraid to look bad, and all (except Ms. Leigh) have scenes in which the tension and horror of the movie is reflected in their face.  In particular is a scene towards the end of the film in which Ms. Lansbury's face seems distorted, bloated, and truly ugly (if one could believe that!). 

If you have never seen The Manchurian Candidate (big screen or small), it is one that you owe to yourself.  It has a script that will keep you on the edge of your seat til the conclusion. However, if you have seen it before, you will see new things with each new viewing. On our way out of the theatre, we heard a woman mentioning that she had seen the film before, but this time noticed the constant references to Abraham Lincoln (something I don't believe I had picked up on during my many small screen viewings). 

So thanks again to TCM for a remarkable opportunity to see classic movies the way they should be seen.  And thanks too, to Mr. Osborne and Ms. Lansbury for sharing their insight into the film with an eager audience.  For those of you who have never seen this magnificent film, here is the trailer (there is another scene on YouTube, but it gives away too much of the ending.  We'll put that at the bottom. DON'T watch it if you are new to the movie)

More Joan Crawford soon, but we felt our "readers" might like to join us for a few minutes at the special event.

And now, the SPOILER scene:

Joan Gets Arrested

Flamingo Road (1949) features Joan Crawford as Lane Bellamy, a carnival dancer who gets bored with the constant running from creditors, and decides to settle down in the town of Boldon City.  Boldon City is run, in every negative context of that word, by its malevolent sheriff, Titus Semple (Sydney Greenstreet).  His assistant, Fielding Carlisle (Zachary Scott) is enchanted by Lane, much to the chagrin of Semple, who has other plans for her personable aide - he plans to use him as a political stooge, a body and a voice that will allow Semple to create his own political machine. Lane, of course, will put those ambitions in jeopardy - too strong to be manipulated, too common to be an attractive political wife, she becomes an obstacle for Semple to get out of the way.

While Crawford is a bit old to play Lane, her power as an actress is still well used.  You can well appreciate her character's ability to land on her feet despite any obstacle, and her tenacity in going head-to-head with Sheriff Semple.  But, good as she is, it is Sydney Greenstreet who steals the movie.  He is so amazingly EVIL - you cannot take your eyes from him the minute he walks into a scene.  Poor Zachary Scott is faced with the unenviable task of playing a weakling. There isn't ANYONE that can't push this man around, from his idiotic, daddy-obsessed wife (Virginia Hudson) to Lane to Semple. We did especially enjoy the scenes between Lane and Dan Reynolds (David Brian). Again, we get to see another side of Lane, as she begins to love the man she had only hoped to use. 

Flamingo Road is a surprisingly enjoyable movie.  We hope you'll give it a try one day.  Here's a trailer:

Joan and Henry and Dana

We got to view another winner, this time from 20th Century Fox (Crawford was on loan from WB): Joan Crawford's next film at WB was the excellent Daisy Kenyon.  Joan plays the title character, a successful graphic artist involved with a married lawyer, Dan O'Mara (Dana Andrews).  Daisy is dissatisfied with her life with Dan - she knows that he has no intention of divorcing his wife (Ruth Warrick as Lucile O'Mara).  Enter Peter Lapham (Henry Fonda), a veteran with his own demons from the past, who falls in love with Daisy almost at first sight. As the two men war for Daisy's affections, Daisy and Dan's family, are torn apart by the complicated relationships.

This is an amazing cast - Crawford's Daisy is powerful and independent.  You cannot help but like her.  Her relationship with Dan is so complex, yet we end up liking Dan. One rather wants to kick him at times, but it is not possible to truly dislike him.  He is too caring of his children, and we always felt he did indeed love Daisy.  Henry Fonda also shines as Peter, giving us a depth the the character, so that ending (not to be revealed here) is totally believable.  And the story will keep you involved til the last scene! 

We also tip our hat to Ruth Warrick as Lucile O'Mara, Dan's high-strung wife.  We found it interesting that a film from 1947 would not only imply physical child abuse, but would implicate a mother in the action.  While we never actually SEE Lucile beat her younger daughter, the film makes it abundantly clear that Dan and Daisy suspect something of the sort is going on.  It is not surprising that Otto Preminger, who created such a row with his discussions of rape in Anatomy of a Murder is the director here as well.

After watching the movie, we also watched the brief, but interesting, documentary that is included on the DVD.  We did have one big argument with the discussion. Several of the critics, including our personal hero Robert Osborne, argued that Ms. Crawford was too old (she was 43 at the time) to play Daisy.  We disagree wholeheartedly.  First off, Henry Fonda is exactly the same age so, if she is too old, so is he.  Secondly, Daisy is supposed to be a successful career woman.  Given her position in life (she says she has been working for many years), she would need to be at least into her late 30s; the same with Dan O'Mara - if we figure out his age at graduation from law school, and factor in the age of his oldest child, he must be at LEAST 39 year old.  Our question was, why is it so impossible to believe that Daisy could be a. near 40,  b. still be sexy, and c. that the lovely Ms. Crawford could pass for a women a few years under 40?  Here's a trailer - you tell us if you think Ms. Crawford still has IT:


Join us again next week for another Crawford pic!

Joan Enters the Asylum

After her wonderful role in Humoresque, Crawford got an equally interesting part in Warner Brother's Possessed.  Crawford plays private nurse Louise Howell, who has fallen passionately in love with David Sutton (Van Heflin).  David, as we grow to learn, is a total bounder - a "love 'em and leave 'em" cad who enjoys the chase, and is immediately bored once he wins his prey.  Bored now with Louise, he has informed her of his disinterest in commitment.  She however, has become obsessed with David, and is badly damaged by his rejection; damage that will eventually spiral her downwards into madness.

The opening scene of this picture is fascinating.  We see Crawford wandering alone down what is obviously Los Angeles city streets. First is the shock of actually seeing the city of Los Angeles (and not the WB back lot) in a picture.  Second is the surprise of seeing Crawford without a drop of makeup on her face! Actually, the beauty of her face is even more evident plain as it is.  She was a stunning woman, without the overdrawn lips and arched eyebrows!  And here, is that very scene:

The film begins after Louise has suffered a severe mental breakdown.  Her story is told in flashback, as her psychiatrist (Stanley Ridges) attempts to ferret out the reason for her illness.  
 
We found the character of David Sutton to be totally reprehensible.   It is hard to discuss, as I'm loathe to give away the ending of the picture for anyone who has not seen it (and we heartily suggest that you see it. You will not be disappointed), but David is not content with destroying Louise, he has another victim in his sights, and Louise is perhaps the only one who understands what he is about to do.  Van Heflin does an excellent job of making David loathsome, yet, we can still understand why women would be attracted to this snake-in-the-grass.  Raymond Massey's Dean Graham is also an interesting portrayal.  Graham, too, has been battered by life, but has an inate strength that will serve those around him well.

Most of the film is told from Louise's point-of-view. We are, after all, hearing her story as told to her doctor.  However, the POV work is fascinating, as we actually SEE her mind breaking down.  We see her hallucinations; as  a result, we are often not sure what is real and what is not.  Which makes for an even more interesting and intense story.  Crawford is wonderful in showing us the confusion in Louise; she makes us care about this woman and appreciate her pain.

Next time, more from Crawford's Warner Brother's years.

Joan Supports the Arts

Joan Crawford followed her Oscar win with another excellent film, 1947's Humoresque, in which she plays socialite Helen Wright, an unhappy woman who becomes fascinated with a violinist (played by John Garfield).  Though Crawford gets top billing here, this movie is really about Garfield's Paul Boray, following him from boyhood (as played by Bobby - or later Robert - Blake), when he receives his first violin, through his relationship with Helen.  

Boray is a man obsessed by music and with his career.  Helen is a woman whose life has been one unhappiness after another. Her current (third) husband is a kind, but ineffectual man, for whom Helen has no respect and little affection.  We learn that her prior marriages were appreciably worse: "One was a crybaby and the other was a caveman" she tells Boray.  

Crawford's subtle skills as an actress are in evident here: when Boray attempts to touch her, Crawford cringes, harkening back to her former"caveman" husband  - and perhaps explaining why she remains married to current husband, Victor (Paul Cavanagh)), a weakling with no desire to do more than watch his wife from afar. Helen's nearsightedness (and reluctance to wear glasses) become of symbol of Helen's narrowed life vision - again, Crawford plays it carefully, using Helen's glasses as a sign of her attempts to really SEE Boray for who he is.

Certainly, this is an almost painful movie - Helen's misery and Boray's need for success give little room for happiness.  However, we do have some relief from the pain of these two people trying to develop a relationship against their own personalities and the dismay of both their families.  It is from Oscar Levant's Sid Jeffers.  Playing Garfield's closest friend since boyhood and his pianist, Levant's irreverence provides some humor to a film otherwise filled with unhappiness.  Sid also provides a moral compass, alerting the viewer (and the protagonists) to the dangers of this relationship with seems to cause nothing but pain.

Regardless, this is an excellent film, with sterling performances.  Watch Crawford's telephone monologue towards the end should you have any doubts. It is a piece of brilliance. And, the delicate portrayals of Paul's parents (played by J. Carrol Naish and Peggy Knudson) are also lovely. Papa's reluctance to waste money on a violin, counter-posed with his pride of his son, when the boy sees the birthday present he has yearned for are quite nicely played.

Before we leave for this week, here is a trailer from Humoresque:

Next week, we continue with Ms. Crawford's Warner Brother's years. Please join us.

Joan Wins an Oscar

Let's just get it out of the way, Mildred Pierce (1945) is an essential film.  From the first moment that we see Mildred (Joan Crawford), as she contemplates a leap off a bridge, to the conclusion, this is a film that sucks you in with its performances, dialog, and images.  It is a quintessential film noir, and perhaps Ms. Crawford's finest performance. Mildred Pierce tells the story of the ultimate movie Mom.  Mildred wants the best for her two daughters, teenage Veda (Ann Blyth) and tomboy Kay (Jo Ann Marlowe).  Mildred's efforts to create a better world for her daughters, however, seems to have created a monster in Veda, a selfish, nasty, and snobbish young lady who looks down on her mother, and has no appreciation for Mildred's sacrifices.  After husband Bert (Bruce Bennett) loses his job, and seems uninterested in getting another, Mildred strikes off on her own, using her talent for cooking and her own personal determination to open a successful restaurant.  And that, of course, is when the problems really start for Mildred.  Her involvement with two men Monte Beragon (Zachary Scott) and Wally Fay (Jack Carson) will only bring her more misfortune.  And Veda, now running with the wealthy crowd, is doing all in her power to make sure she remains in the upper classes.

The cast here is exceptional, most especially Eve Arden as Mildred's friend and partner Ida Corwin.  Ms. Arden is wonderful in everything she does, but here she brings a tone to the movie that it so desperately needs. Without her, the movie would have been a morass of sorrow. With her jibes and asides, Ida acts as both chorus and comic relief in this most serious of films. Much of our discussion focused on Jack Carson's Wally vs. Zachary Scott's Monte; which of the two men was the bigger creep.  The votes seemed to favor Monte, who is so selfish and craven.  But there was commentary on Wally's ability to betray his business partner, his ability to immediately attempt to seduce his wife, AND his willingness to turn on Mildred when it is advantageous for HIM.  And, when handing out the prizes for evil, we did not forget that most famous of movie bitches, Veda Pierce, truly a remarkably evil lady.

Oh, and the next time you watch the movie, take a look at the scene where Mildred and Monte go swimming.  The suit Mildred wears could have been loaned to Lana Turner for The Postman Always Rings Twice!  To those who felt Ms.Crawford had no sex appeal, take a look at her here.  We surely know why all the men are interested in her!  Here is a trailer:
If you haven't ever seen Mildred Pierce, run don't walk to your local library and borrow it (or put it on your Nexflix cue, or watch it the next time it airs on TCM). You won't be disappointed.